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Impact of the Manchester Glaucoma Enhanced Referral Scheme on NHS costs
Hannah Forbes1, Matt Sutton1, David F Edgar2
1Division of Population Health, Health Services Research & Primary Care, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
Insights
The Manchester Glaucoma Enhanced Referral Scheme (GERS) successfully reduced unnecessary referrals to hospital eye services. This glaucoma filtering scheme demonstrated cost savings for the National Health Service (NHS).
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Health Economics
Background:
- Glaucoma filtering schemes aim to minimize false positive referrals to Hospital Eye Services.
- Previous research on the cost-effectiveness and system-wide advantages of these schemes remains inconclusive.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the cost implications of the Manchester Glaucoma Enhanced Referral Scheme (GERS).
Main Methods:
- An observational study utilizing a cost analysis from the National Health Service (NHS) perspective.
- Audit data from the Manchester GERS was employed for the analysis.
Main Results:
- The Manchester GERS processed 2405 patients between April 2013 and November 2016.
- 53.3% of patients were successfully managed without referral to Manchester Royal Eye Hospital (MREH).
- An estimated saving of £2.76 per patient was achieved by avoiding an average of 2.3 outpatient visits per filtered patient.
Conclusions:
- Glaucoma filtering schemes show potential for reducing false positive referrals.
- These schemes can lead to significant cost reductions for the National Health Service (NHS).
Objectives:
Glaucoma filtering schemes such as the Manchester Glaucoma Enhanced Referral Scheme (GERS) aim to reduce the number of false positive cases referred to Hospital Eye Services. Such schemes can also have wider system benefits, as they may reduce waiting times for other patients. However, previous studies of the cost consequences and wider system benefits of glaucoma filtering schemes are inconclusive. We investigate the cost consequences of the Manchester GERS.
Design:
Observational study.
Methods:
A cost analysis from the perspective of the National Health Service (NHS) was conducted using audit data from the Manchester GERS.
Results:
2405 patients passed through the Manchester GERS from April 2013 to November 2016. 53.3% were not referred on to Manchester Royal Eye Hospital (MREH). Assuming an average of 2.3 outpatient visits to MREH were avoided for each filtered patient, the scheme saved the NHS approximately £2.76 per patient passing through the scheme.
Conclusion:
Our results indicate that glaucoma filtering schemes have the potential to reduce false positive referrals and costs to the NHS.
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